Sydney, Australia - May 19th, 2016 - As humans there are cracks in our workflow. Big, bottomless crevasses that swallow up time and tasks. It's no surprise that a 2013 study by KPMG concluded that the use of commercially available project management software increases performance and satisfaction.

Yep, it's offical - you need software to manage projects efficiently and accurately. Simply put, project management software bridges those human gaps by doing three things we can’t do that well on our own.

1. Track your time

Many a study have shown that our brains often fail us when it comes to recounting what it is we did at the end of the day. Our memories are unreliable and we can forget some details of our activities. That's OK. But what this means is, using methods such as Excel sheets to monitor your daily activities will often result in inaccurate data that's useless beyond billing clients.

In the KPMG study, ‘capturing time/costs against projects’ has been named by clients as their biggest project management challenge. Thankfully, project management software, such as Sciforma, uses sophisticated time-sheets, resulting in real-time data analysis. By capturing exactly where and how much time was spent on what activities, we are able to see exactly what tasks are the most profitable and where there is room for improvement. With better data collection, the project management process becomes fluid, with accurate figures that empower you to make decisions in the moment - not in weeks to come.

2. Manage more tasks

When participating in major projects, Post-it notes and to-do lists sadly just don’t cut it when you are managing a team. Keeping everyone up-to-date can be a cumbersome process involving long, tedious meetings—which can often be a waste of time when run inefficiently.

Cloud-based project management software leverages the always-on world of the internet to empower your team. Everything happens in real time, with no one left waiting for the next meeting to receive a status update, the latest documents and news, or even to gain access to everyone’s schedule - which can frequently take days, if not weeks. Thankfully, project management software gives us the luxury of handling the details automatically, freeing everyone up to get on to more valuable work.

3. Communicate more clearly

With globalisation - and a shrinking world - the norm amongst businesses, teams are become more disparate and distributed. Working in a team comprised of people from different time zones and different countries requires more activity than the basic Skype call can offer. Project management software like Sciforma puts everyone in the same virtual location where they can collaborate and communicate effectively.

Centralising projects makes said projects accessible at any time to any person on the team. One person’s evening is another’s morning, yet this way both are able get the information they need, and when they need it to move the project along in real time, while almost eliminating the the risk of data errors and duplicate entry.

With software like ours, team members are also not working on multiples of the same documents. Cloud technology enables team members to see the changes others have made, answer questions, amend and approve updates as they occur, thereby streamlining the process.

Now, when it comes to adopting and implementing project management software, you must make discerning choices amongst the number of options occupying the market today.

My advice is to look for reliable and easy to use software that has available and responsive support. Be mindful of your needs and don’t expect all software to fit you like a glove. It won’t. You may have to adapt your workflow, create a culture of change and also implement training for your team to fully utilise the new investment - but remember, your projects will run more efficiently, making your business more profitable and effective.

Too many projects are running over time, over budget and still failing to be completed on a satisfactory level. By leveraging software designed to assist your team and your business, you are giving yourself the best chance of success moving forward.

The only question remains: when will your team be making the leap to a good PPM software?

About The Author

Maurya Rieder is the Director of Sciforma ANZ. Sciforma is a leading PPM Software that assists businesses in completing more projects on time, on budget and within scope. Sciforma’s goal is to help you streamline your processes and accomplish your company's vision.